The invention relates to a device for the cleaning, separation out from a solid-water mixture, and dewatering of solid material present in soiled, polluted, or contaminated solid-water mixtures, the devices of the type including a washing trough over which wash-liquid sprays are operative and which trough is filled with wash liquid up to an overflow on one of its ends, wherewith the other end of said trough is provided with a conveyor disposed above the level of the wash liquid, which conveyor is provided with a vibration mechanism for dewatering the separated-out solids.
A known device of this type includes a machine frame having a conveyor belt stretched over support rollers, tensioning rollers, and conveying rollers, between its side walls. The upper segment of the conveyor belt forms a washing trough filled with washing liquid. The material to be washed is fed in known fashion via a chute. Often, the material will comprise bagged or prepared gravel or other comminuted material, or material in recycling processes such as recycled building materials.
The above-discussed known device is taught in West German Pat. No. DE-31-48-728 and has a vibration compactor. This is disposed in the region below the chute in the part of the upper segment of the conveyor belt which part here is moving above the washing-liquid level in the washing trough and thus outside the washing trough proper. The segment of the conveyor which lies on top of the vibration compactor does not have the same angle of inclination as the walls, i.e., the bottom, of the washing trough. The result of the vibration compactor being located here is that when sand or the like is discharged onto the conveyor from the washing trough against the direction of movement of the soils being washed away from the solids undergoing washing, washing liquid still carried along with the sand at the overflow is vibrated free and flows back into the washing trough. The dewatered solids which have been discharged from the washing trough can then be immediately transported away or further processed after they are released from the conveyor belt.
The known device provides good operating results, although it consumes a great deal of energy and has other disadvantages. Thus, the constantly moving conveyor belt is subject to wear and must be continually replaced, necessitating downtime of the device. Also, e.g., when the conveyor stretches, the individual support rollers must be readjusted, which represents additional maintenance costs. Further, no means of applying forces to intensify the washing process in the washing trough are provided, nor means of tipping the washing trough when it is desired to assist the expulsion of the washed solids or to rapidly empty the washing trough, e.g., when undesirable material has been fed into the device via the feed chute, as may occur with recycled materials.
Accordingly, the underlying problem in the prior art is to devise a device of the type described initially supra, which produces substantially the same results, has a strong and simple structure, does not require readjustment, enables the application of additional forces, and is suitable for processing recycled material.